INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Crime never takes a holiday, so the brave men and women of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department don’t get a day off.

“Just in case they need us, we’ve got to be out here to help out,” IMPD Officer Maria Pallares said.

She worked mid-shift on Thanksgiving Day, but she said she was happy to do it.

“There’s got to be officers, firemen, everybody else out there taking care of business,” she said.

She works the southeast district for IMPD. On Thanksgiving, she patrolled neighborhoods, checked out parking lots for any signs of car break-ins and made traffic stops.

She even made a call to a family that invited her to join their Thanksgiving meal.

“Vandalism report, somebody ran over a mailbox. I come in to take the report and family is all set down at the table having dinner, and they’re like: ‘Hey, you’re welcome to join us; we’ve got an extra seat,'” she said.

Those moments make the job worthwhile for her, knowing she is serving an appreciative community.

She thinks her fellow officers feel the same way about their sacrifice.

“I know some people have families, have small children, and I’m sure they would rather be at home with their kids, but it’s what we have to do, so we come out here and help out,” she said.

And she doesn’t believe that missing out on this day means missing out on the holiday.

“For some people their Thanksgiving might be after the weekend or something like that. As long as you get together with your family and have a dinner and sit down, I think it doesn’t matter which day you celebrate it necessarily,” she explained.

She said there’s a lot of camaraderie between police and those in similar careers, like firefighters, who also have to work the holiday.